ANAHEIM  A half-century ago today, Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Disneyland with great fanfare, and Ron Hanford was there.

It lived up to everything, he recalled, now 71 and living in Rancho Cucamonga.

This week, like so so many times over the years, he was back enjoying Disneyland  and Pirates...

It was the last attraction overseen by Walt Disney, opening three months after his death. What is now a 15-minute journey in a boat that bobs past fireflies, pirates firing off cannons, drinking pirates and those trying to escape a jail cell  with that catchy tune as a backdrop much of the way  was originally going to be a walk-through wax museum...

I remember it well. I was there soon after it opened. The lines were unbelievable.

My favorite was always Tom Sawyer's Island because it was not an hour in line followed by 5 minutes of ride. You could go spent some time there. The party-line phones in the general store were pretty cool too: Free and entertaining for at least 1/2 an hour.

Grrr I mean Arrrr! with that catchy tune as a backdrop much of the way 

This was not open during my west coastal time, but I put in plenty of time in the Florida version. One particularly memorable time was actually during the Bush V Gore Florida recount. We retreated to Fantasyland... May have to retreat there again!

This thread on fantasyland looks promising, and clearly little can be done to damage the concept or content!Tat

In your dreams...

Originally Posted By: Greger

Quote:

In your dreams...

I see what you did there...

Honest your honor, I was just minding my own business, not causing any trouble at all, when out of nowhere a little voice from God told me about his mission for me. What else could I do, your Honor? I even have a witness.Tat

[quote]ANAHEIM  A half-century ago today, Pirates of the Caribbean opened at Disneyland with great fanfare, and Ron Hanford was there.

It lived up to everything, he recalled, now 71 and living in Rancho Cucamonga.

This week, like so so many times over the years, he was back enjoying Disneyland  and Pirates...

It was the last attraction overseen by Walt Disney, opening three months after his death. What is now a 15-minute journey in a boat that bobs past fireflies, pirates firing off cannons, drinking pirates and those trying to escape a jail cell  with that catchy tune as a backdrop much of the way  was originally going to be a walk-through wax museum...

But we've got to verify it legally, to seeTo see?If it.If it?Is morally, ethic'llySpiritually, physicallyPositively, absolutelyUndeniably and reliably ON TOPIC!

And its not only merely On Topic,Its really most sincerely ON TOPIC!

Now I went and furrgot what I was going to post! Well it should come back to me as I am pretty sure it was at least vaguely related to this thread... unless the topic was actually oftopicness or is it oftopically, I remain confused...

 with that catchy tune as a backdrop much of the way  was originally going to be a walk-through wax museum...[/quote]

But we've got to verify it legally, to seeTo see?If it.If it?Is morally, ethic'llySpiritually, physicallyPositively, absolutelyUndeniably and reliably ON TOPIC!

And its not only merely On Topic,Its really most sincerely ON TOPIC!

Now I went and furrgot what I was going to post! Well it should come back to me as I am pretty sure it was at least vaguely related to this thread... unless the topic was actually oftopicness or is it oftopically, I remain confused...

Tat [/quote]

Oh Yeah, now I remember, how could I furrget, one of the most PTSD inducing experiences of Disney Family "Vacations"?Well you remember the mention of the catchy tune in Pirate mode? There is something else so diabolical that Disney did to us that compares to traumatizing us and our children by taking Dumbo away from his Mother, with clenched trunks...that sadist bastard!

It seems so innocent, but under certain circumstances can and did inflict semi-permanant brain damage, no not Space Mountain, but

Talk about pernicious earworms, this is 10-100 time worse, I stll break out inro a cold sweat! I dare you to try to listen to the entire trip through the rainbow drenched ride! The line was short, one of the main criteria in choosing attractions. My son was 12-13 and daughter was still in the 9 year old fru-fru phase. Son objected strongly to participation, but negotiation brought him into compliance. Daughter was the strong motivating force, though I strongly suspect that she had a bit of gleeful sadism in experiencing son's misery. How bad could it be for 13 minutes?

We got about halfway through and the ride came to a screeching halt. They announced: Stay in your seats, we are working on it. To keep us amused and disoriented, the soundtrack kept going for what seemed like hours, but time flies when you're having fun! All I remember, except for the catchy little tune, was endlessly pirouetting ballerinas, and trying to restrain son in extreme distress, attempting to run from the cave to safety.Daughter was highly amused. Ya cant always please everybody at the same time, I have learned! He has subsequently retaliated chronically, effectively, and most sincerely.

Right afterwords SCROTUS declared Bush to be Prezidunce. Only in Fantacyworld could anything be worse, but here we are stuck with Agent Orange!

Seems more dystopic, if you ask me... but, thank you for triggering a PTSD-like recall of that widely shared, Stephen (Haw)King-ish ride to the very edge of the sane universe. (Is it really a small world, or is that just an Earth-centric delusion?)

What were those Disney folks thinking, anyway? Were they on the same psychotropics that inspired Fantasia? (i.e. on-tropics?)

(I think the drugs were tainted that drove the "Small World" vision, however.)

(I also suspect that Taters is on some kind of a topical steroid...)

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